| Sure your Hyundai Sonata has received the | | | | leg injuries and the side test to consider |
| U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety | | | | how side air bags can protect the driver's |
| Administration's (NHTSA) top five-star crash | | | | head, as well as consolidate the frontal and |
| test rating for front and side impacts last | | | | side crash ratings to create a single, |
| year. But will it and its top of the line | | | | summary vehicle rating and consider offering |
| Hyundai parts fare when the government raises | | | | a rating for rear crash protection. |
| the safety bar even higher? | | | | |
| | | | NHTSA would likewise provide a grade for |
| The U.S. Department of Transportation has | | | | crash avoidance technologies such as |
| announced plans to revise its automobile | | | | electronic stability control, lane departure |
| crash tests at the North American | | | | warnings and rear collision avoidance |
| International Auto Show in Detroit, perhaps | | | | systems. The agency has already proposed |
| in response to criticism that too many cars | | | | mandating stability control in all new |
| have reached the highest ranking of five | | | | vehicles by the 2012 model year. |
| stars over the past two years. | | | | |
| | | | The new approach however, would maintain the |
| According to Transportation Secretary Mary | | | | star system while using a letter grade for |
| Peters, the National Highway Traffic Safety | | | | advanced technologies. A vehicle, for |
| Administration would seek changes to its New | | | | instance, could receive "an `A' under |
| Car Assessment Program to strengthen frontal, | | | | additional technologies because the |
| side-impact and rollover testing and measure | | | | manufacturer has decided willingly to include |
| new crash avoidance technologies more | | | | some of these technologies," NHTSA |
| commonly used in vehicles. | | | | Administrator Nicole Nason said. |
| | | | |
| "Now is the time for all of us to join | | | | Safety advocates have called for crash tests |
| together to raise that safety bar even | | | | to be more rigorous and to include higher |
| higher. We can never become complacent about | | | | speed crashes and larger impact vehicles. |
| saving lives," Peters said. | | | | Adrian Lund, president of the Insurance |
| | | | Institute for Highway Safety, said, "They |
| NHTSA conducts vehicle crash tests and rates | | | | need to do something that will accelerate |
| them on a scale of one to five stars _ with | | | | vehicle design improvements," Lund said. "If |
| five stars as the highest score _ to help | | | | everyone gets four or five stars, that's not |
| consumers evaluate a vehicle's safety. | | | | useful." |
| | | | |
| The proposal, outlined in a 26-page report, | | | | NHTSA will hold a meeting on March 7 in |
| would upgrade the frontal test to rate | | | | Washington to hear suggestions on the plan. |
| vehicles on their ability to prevent upper | | | | |